The Hatteress and the Kindly Knave
by Jacquelina-Comm
Summary: Ameliana "Amy" Potter and Lucasso "Lucas" O'Hara are best friends who fall down the rabbit hole. How will it affect their relationship when they find that their birth fathers are enemies?
1. Black and Orange

Disclaimer: I own Amy and Lucas, but no other characters.

* * *

"Come on Lucas, we're going to be late." Amy Potter yelled to her friend, Lucas O'Hara, who was refusing to move quickly, despite the fact that they were running late.

"I'm late. I'm late. For a very important date." Lucas teased, shuffling his sneakered feet through the autumn leaves. Lucas was very tall, large and sturdily-built, making him a perfect candidate for the high school football team. However, he abhorred violence and so refused to play a game where he had to tackle people, much to Coach Carlson's dismay. Amy, on the other hand, was a petite ice-skater whose competitiveness pushed her to be the best on the ice rink and in every other walk of life. The only reason she had Lucas as a friend, was because of the bigger boy's lack of competitiveness.

Spotting the clubhouse ahead, Amy beckoned to Lucas and ran ahead. Lucas sighed, and broke a lazy trot to keep her in view. The clubhouse was built in the nitch of several small trees that grew parallel to the ground, so that you could step easily through the doorway. Inside were several make-shift seats made of tree trunks and pieces of junk that the kids found around the clearing. Several of these seats were already occupied by other members of the club.

One boy waved to them and motioned for them to take a seat. It was Kevin Applegate, the club president. The two friends immediately took over a small bench made out of a log.

"All right everyone!" Kevin yelled, using a rock as a gavel. "Now, who has an adventure they want to tell us about?"

Amy and Lucas sighed, sitting back in their seats as several of the other children raised their hands. Both had fairly ordinary families, with fairly boring parents, and had thus never had a real adventure. Even with Amy's competitive nature, she had never even left the town except to go to disney world for her 12th birthday. Of course, that didn't stop the other children, who told about things like touring a jelly bean factory as if it were the most exciting thing that ever happened to them.

Lucas actually fell asleep during the meeting, his long legs stretched out before him and his head resting on Amy's shoulder, his black hair in stark contrast with his friend's orange curls. Amy was ready to join him in slumberland as a boy named Nick droned on about some very unexciting "adventure", but managed keep her eyes open until Kevin banged his rock gavel, making her jump. Beside her, Lucas startled awake, his ice blue eyes snapping open in surprise.

"Finally." The lanky boy sighed, towering over Amy, now that they were both standing. "Why do we even come here? We never have any stories to share, and we're always bored out of our minds."

"Yes, we must be quite mad by now." Amy agreed, with a giggle that seemed to prove her point

They made strange pair as they sauntered down the street, the raven-haired giant of a seventeen-year-old boy and the petite sixteen-year-old carrot top girl who didn't even make it up to his shoulder. Suddenly. Amy spotted something out of the corner of her eye and patted Lucas' shoulder to get his attention.

"Did you see that?" She asked, peering around for the flash of blue and white she had seen.

"What? I didn't see anything." Lucas said, joining his friend in her search, though he had no idea what he was looking for.

"Look! There it is again!" Amy released Lucas' arm and raced away into the trees, with the raven-haired giant attempting to keep up. The orange-haired ice diva sped ahead, her eyes on something only she could see.


	2. Down the Rabbit Hole

- Lucas.

"Amy, wait!" Lucas shouted, attempting to make his long, clumsy legs move fast enough to catch his smaller, faster friend.

What was she chasing? Lucas couldn't see anything, but then Amy was known to be a bit queer in the head at times, which was another reason why other children tended to keep away from her. For all he knew, she was chasing the proverbial pink elephant.

Suddenly, Amy stopped short and just stood there, looking around her in bewilderment. Lucas was thankful for this, because his chest was burning, and his legs felt like jelly, and if his friend had kept on running he probably would have had to stop. He finally came to a stop beside her, breathing heavily and puffing like a bellows.

"It's gone." Amy sounded so disappointed that Lucas help feeling sorry for her, even she had been seeing things.

"What did you see?" He asked, after he finally got his breath back. He hadn't realized his friend could run that fast, though he probably should have, seeing as how she was on the track team.

"I'm not sure." The orange-haired girl was once again peering intently into the trees.

"So you were chasing a shadow."

"No! I'm sure I saw something." Amy said. She sat dejectedly against a tree and gave a yelp of surprise as she toppled backwards into a previously unseen hole.

With his own cry of alarm, Lucas dove forward, but his hands found only empty air. Leaning over the hole cautiously, he peered down into the dark depths below. However, he barely had a second to contemplate running for the police before the earth crumbled beneath him, plunging him headfirst into the hole.

He was plummeting, screaming his head off in such a way that he would have burned the evidence, had there been any. Funnily enough, though, he felt like he was falling _up_, not down. Various pieces of furniture flew past, so close that at one point he had to duck to avoid a piano. He was just beginning to wonder if this hole had a bottom at all, when he landed with a painful smack.


	3. The Tiny Door

- Amy

Amy hit the floor with a painful smack.

Climbing with agonizing slowness to her feet, she looked around to find herself in a small, round room ringed with doors. In the center of the room was a small table with a bottle on it, containing some kind of red liquid. Ignoring the bottle for now, Amy began to try all the doors, but found them all locked. She was just about to go look at the bottle, when a hole opened in the floor and spat Lucas out onto the floor like a cat might regurgitate a mouse. Hurrying to help her friend to his feet, Amy explained everything she knew about the situation so far.

"I was just about to have a look at that stuff on the table. Care to join me?" She wandered over to the table a picked up the bottle, though she was pretty sure from the way he looked at her that Lucas wasn't fooled by her brave front.

"Looks like some cough syrup I tasted once." He commented, gently taking the bottle from her fingers in order to study it better. "Stuff tasted bloody awful, and didn't even help with my cold."

Amy chuckled at her friend's old-fashioned, rated-G swearing, and her eye was caught by an old curtain hanging in one corner. She could see a tiny doorknob sticking out from behind it and quickly swept it aside to reveal a tiny door, only about a tall as her shin.

"Hey, Amy. Look what I found." Lucas bent down next to her, offering a small key. When he saw the door, he cracked a grin. "My foot wouldn't fit through that thing, Amy." He pointed out, as if she couldn't see it for herself.

Lost in thought, Amy leaped up and paced back to the table, where she grabbed the bottle and chugged down half its contents before Lucas could stop her. She knew that the red drink was somehow connected to the door, though she didn't know how it could be connected or how she knew that it was. She almost coughed the stuff back up as a horrible, burning taste seared the inside of her throat and brought tears to her eyes. It reminded her of the time her Uncle Ned allowed her try his whiskey.

Lucas watched her with concern in his blue eyes as Amy gagged on the foul liquid and shakily placed it back on the table. After a few minutes, she became noticeably shorter, even for her. Her clothes became looser and looser until she disappeared into her jeans. The folds of cloth were gently parted by Lucas, revealing her to be only about one foot tall. Both teens were glad to see that the under-sized T-Shirt that she had worn under her sweater was now just the right size to wear as a dress.

"So that's how you get through the door." Lucas said, and Amy was slightly surprised that his voice didn't hurt her ears. "How did it taste?"

"Drink it and see." Amy retorted. After all, he should of deduced from the fact that she was gagging that it tasted bad. She got a tiny bit of malicious glee from the look of startled disgust that invaded her friend's face as he drained the other half of the bottle.

After Lucas stepped out of his jeans in his own T-shirt, which didn't fit half as well as Amy's had, they unlocked the door and stepped through.


	4. Entering Wonderland

- Lucas

Lucas stepped through the door and tripped over his too-large T-shirt, tumbling down a set of stone steps to land with a splat in a puddle. For the second time that day, Amy rushed to help him up, though there was nothing to be done about the healthy layer of mud that now coated him from head to toe. However, that was all forgotten as they noticed their surroundings. It was amazing! Ferns and other small plants towered over them, and small creatures that were obviously dragonflies and rocking-horseflies did battle as they buzzed around the teens' heads.

As he tripped on the hem of his shirt for what must have been the fifth time since being shrunk, Lucas sighed and cursed his shirt for not fitting him the way Amy's did her. But then, everything fit Amy. She could put on a dress made for a three-year-old and it would probably defy physics to fit her perfectly. 'Especially now.' He thought to himself as he watched his friend scale a fallen tree branch without any trouble at all.

"There is some kind of antidote for that nasty drink, right?" He asked rhetorically.

"I certainly hope so." Amy said, shrugging.

"Oh, there's an antidote all right." A silky voice said from behind them, and Lucas spun around to find himself face-to-face with a grey-and-blue cat that sported a grin that literally split his face. The fact that it was floating several feet above the ground didn't seem to surprise the teens, which surprised them immensely. "And who might you be? You have so much mud on you that I wouldn't recognize you if you were my own brother." The cat motioned to a spot about five feet to Lucas' right. "Stand right here, if you please."

Cautiously, Lucas stepped onto the indicated spot and was immediately drenched by a flood of water that had been collected in a pitcher plant above his head. Thoroughly soaked, the teenage boy spluttered and glared at the cat. However, most of the mud had been washed off in the impromptu shower.

"Much better!" The cat purred. However, after getting a good look at Lucas' face, he drew back with a startled expression on his face. "Stayne?" He whispered, cocking his head at him curiously.

"Who?" Lucas exchanged a confused look with Amy, but she just shrugged again. This cat was making no sense, and only added to the confusion by disappearing in a puff of smoke and reappearing next to Lucas' shoulder.

"Ilosovic Stayne, former Knave of Hearts. You look just like him, except that you have two eyes while he only has one. Tell me, are you related to him?" The cat said, all the while disappearing and reappearing at a dizzying rate.

"I've never even _heard _of the guy." Lucas said in exasperation.

"Hmm." The cat frowned, which, somehow, was even freaker than when he was grinning. "You must be Overlanders to have never heard of Ilosovic Stayne. And here I thought Overlanders didn't have hair this color." That last bit was aimed at Amy, whose carroty curls he was now "fingering". "I'll take you to see another person with orange curls, who might be able to help you. Though, I warn you, looking like Stayne will not count in your favor with him."

The cat led the two teenagers through the forest, stopping several times so that Lucas could untangle himself from his T-shirt, until they finally reached a large clearing in which sat a windmill, its propellers twirling in the breeze. In front of the windmill was a white table that was laden with all kinds of tea-time stuff. Around the table sat three people: a twitchy hare in a blue suit, a white dormouse in pink trousers, and a pale-faced man with shocking, neon-green eyes who wore a raggedy, yet regal, top-hat perched atop his orange hair.

"Oh, good. We caught them during tea-time." The cat said. "Hatter! We have some Overland visitors!"


	5. Upelkuchen

- Amy

As soon as the floating cat called out to the one called Hatter, all three of the tea-partiers turned to stare at them. Amy found herself stepping protectively in front of Lucas when the dormouse drew a pin-sword, but the top-hat man (presumably Hatter) calmed her with a quick word. Standing, Hatter quickly skirted the table and crouched down to their level.

Now that he was closer, Amy could clearly see that his face was not pale, but white. His eyes were lined with pink and blue, and his lips were a strangely feminine rose. He wore a gaudy bow-tie of multi-colored bow tie and his fingers were stained with orange spots, except for his left thumb, which was bandaged.

He looked strangely familiar.

"You two must be quite special." He said. "Chessur doesn't play forest guide for just anybody, you know."

"If by 'quite special' you mean 'Overlanders', then you are absolutely right." Amy said. "Besides that, we really aren't much to look at."

"Really? Overlanders?" Hatter frowned. "I didn't know Overlanders had hair that shade of orange."

"Well, I do. I've never seen anyone else with orange hair, though. Red, yes; orange, no."

"You really must join our tea party." The Hatter said suddenly, taking each of the tiny teens by the hand and leading them around to sit on either side of him at the end of the table. The dormouse was still glaring daggers at Lucas, but neither the hare nor the Hatter seemed to take offense at the boy's presence. The hare did throw a teacup at him, forcing him to duck or get a concussion, but then it did the same thing to Hatter, so he didn't complain.

"You wouldn't happen to have something that reverse that nasty-tasting shrinking potion, would you?" Amy asked, feeling tired of cold drafts going up the bare skin under her shirt.

"You mean the pishsalver?" The Hatter frowned again in thought. "I think so. Mally, where do we keep the upelkuchen?"

"I think there's some in the house." The dormouse said, while still giving Lucas a death-glare.

"Well, then." The Hatter grinned brightly, exposing a gap between his front teeth. "Mally, will you show Miss..."

"Amy Potter."

"Would you show Ms. Potter where it is? Ladies first and all that."

Mally nodded and beckoned for Amy to follow her into the house. As soon as the door closed behind them, though, the little dormouse turned on her.

"All right, who is he?" Mally demanded.

"Who?" Amy was thoroughly confused by the dormouse's sudden mood swing.

"That boy you're with. For a second, I thought he was Stayne but since he has two eyes, I know that can't be. So why does he look so much like him?"

"That's what Chessur said. Who is this Stayne person?" Suddenly, Amy was struck with a thought and peeked out the window. The Hatter's behavior had changed dramatically and he was now coldly ignoring Lucas in favor of the hare.

"Ilosovic Stayne was the Knave of Hearts when the Red Queen was in power. He was her right hand man and assassin." Mally explained, while searching through a cupboard. Finally, she backed out with a small piece of cake in her arms. "Don't eat all of it." She warned as she handed it to Amy. "That's all there is, and we'll need the rest for your friend."

Carefully, Amy nibbled off a corner of the cake. It had a burnt flavor, like coffee, with an aftertaste of macadamia nuts. Slowly, she grew and grew until she was her normal 5' 2'' and her shirt no longer covered the lower half of her body.

Since Mally's clothes were a bit too small for her, and the hare had only the suit he wore, Amy was given an extra pair of the Hatter's pants, along with one of his spare shirts. They were a bit loose on her, but the pants stayed up on their own and the shirt was modest so she didn't quibble.

When Amy emerged from windmill, the hare led Lucas inside. The boy who was once 6' 9'' and towered over her now barely made it up to her knees. It was strange to look down at him, instead of up. Quickly taking a seat next to the Hatter, she was struck by how different the genial smile he was giving her was from the cold shoulder had given Lucas.

After a few minutes, Lucas emerged at full size. However, the Hatter's pants must have been too small for his extremely long legs, because he wore a kilt-like garment made from a checkered table cloth. Amy whistled and clapped, but stopped when he blushed in embarrassment. The giant teenager looked ready to crawl down the nearest hole and hide there, but Amy quickly jumped up and led him to his seat before he could think of running.


	6. Mad Tea Party

- Hatter

Hatter stared at the extraordinarily tall boy sitting beside him. He was much too young to be Stayne, but, except for the lack of an eyepatch, the lad was a mirror image of the loathsome knave. The girl, Amy Potter, also interested him, but since she was currently having a tea-drinking contest with Thackery, he couldn't strike up a conversation with her. She looked familiar...

"They're not going to get sick from drinking all that tea, are they?" Hatter flinched in surprise at the raven-haired boy's soft, concerned voice;so different from Stayne's. In fact, the lad hadn't made the slightest hostile motion toward any of them.

"Ms. Potter might. Thackery's used to it." Hatter noticed a small smile on the boy's face and frowned at him. "What are yoo laughin' at?" He asked, a bit of Scottish creeping into his accent.

"I've never heard anyone refer to Amy as 'Ms. Potter'." The tall lad let out a chuckle and pointed out what had amused him before Hatter could get angry at him. Amy had beaten Thackery at the tea-drinking contest but had taken on a distinct shade of green. However, this did not stop her from helping the hare stay in his seat as the twitchy creature looked ready to topple over.

"I never asked your name." Hatter looked at the boy, who turned his smile to the milliner.

"It's Lucas. Lucas O'Hara."

Lucas. Why did that name sound familiar? Before Hatter could figure it out, Amy leapt out of her chair and raced to the edge of the clearing to empty her stomach among the trees. Lucas half-stood, ready to rush to Amy's aid, but his kilt got caught on the chair. By the time he got it untangled, the carrot-top had returned to her seat with a slightly ashen face.

"Oh-hare-ah?" The Hatter laughed. "I've never heard a human with a name like that before."

"It's Irish." Lucas kept his eyes on the tea in his cup. His entire body was scrunched up in an effort to look smaller. Apparently he didn't like to be laughed at, but instead of lashing out like Stayne would, this boy tried to hide in plain sight. Hatter suddenly realized that he had compared Lucas to Staynefor the third time since meeting him. He had to stop doing that. Innocent until proven guilty and all that.

"So who is this Stayne person everyone keeps mistaking Lucas for?" Amy asked, and the smile melted off the Hatter's face. His eyes turned orange and everyone became distinctly nervous.

"Ilosovic Stayne," the milliner's voice took on a distinct Scottish accent, "is the frumious, noo good..." Hatter went into a tirade of Underlandian curses, and Mally had to snap him back to reality. "Thank you. I'm fine." He wheezed.

"Stayne was the Red Queen's right hand man, and top assassin." Mally explained. "People hated him almost as much as they hated her."

"And you apparently look like him." Amy said to Lucas, then added sarcastically. "Lucky you."

"Everyone who comes to Underland has some sort of purpose here." The Hatter said, having calmed down enough that his eyes returned to green. "We'll take to Her Majesty, the White Queen. She'll be able to tell you what you're supposed to do."

"I don't suppose there's anywhere I can get some real pants, is there?" Lucas asked. "Because, no offense to the Scottish, but this kilt feels really weird."

"Well, normally we wear something under it."


	7. The White Queen

- Lucas

The odd-looking group walked through the forest like some kind of strange parade, with the Hatter and Amy leading the way with Mally on Hatter's hat, followed by Lucas, who was keeping a wary eye on the hare, in case the crazy critter decided to throw something. The kilt he was wearing kept tripping him up, and he longed for some clothes that actually fit him.

Amy glanced back, and stopped to allow Lucas time to catch up. The Hatter stopped too, looking confused as to what the hold-up was. He had warmed up to Lucas considerably, but was still reserved around the raven-haired boy. The hare, whose name was Thackery, seemed to like him immensely though, which, according to Mally, was why he had stayed in the back with him instead of running ahead.

"Hey, Thackery." Lucas stopped the hare as it danced past him, and it looked at him in such a way that suggested he had emptied an entire sugar bowl in one go. "Do you know how much farther it is?"

"Aye!" Thackery tugged on Lucas' shirt and he followed the hare as quickly as he could without tripping again. As they passed the others, Amy broke into a run, beating the boy and the hare up the crest of the next hill. "Marmoreal. We're almost there! Spoon."

The White Queen's castle was very large and made entirely of white marble, with white turrets that looked like chess pieces. Amy grew very excited, barely holding herself back enough to wait for her friends, but Lucas hung back. He hadn't failed to notice the dangerous looks that Mally had been giving him since she first saw him, and was afraid he might find a more lethal welcome from people who hate Stayne even more than she does.

"Don't worry." The Hatter said, when he finally caught up to the tall boy. "Queen Mirana is very kind and compassionate. You're not going to come to harm just because you look like Stayne."

"I hope you're right."

The entrance to the castle was lined on either side by flowering cherry trees that rained petals onto the newcomers like pink rain. The Hatter sent a butler in white to alert the queen of their presence, and a few minutes later a lovely young woman floated down the grand staircase to greet them. Her skin was as white as the Hatter's, with hair and a dress to match, but her eyes, lips and fingernails were all black.

"Welcome, Tarrant." The woman, whom Lucas guessed was the White Queen, said lightly. After greeting Mally and Thackery in a similar fashion, she turned with a smile to the two teens.

'Here it comes.' Lucas cringed, thinking she would become less friendly when she saw how he resembled the Knave of Hearts, but she either didn't see it or didn't care, because her smile never wavered. "And welcome to you, Ameliana and Lucasso."

"How did you know our real names?" Amy asked, surprised.

"All in good time." She clapped her hands and a butler seemed to materialize at her shoulder. "Please take these two to their rooms." She said, and the butler bowed before turning to Amy and Lucas.

"See you later Hatter!" Amy called, and the mad milliner gave her a wave in return.


	8. Hightopp and Stayne

- Hatter

_Tarrant Hightopp cuddled his wife as she giggled and and allowed their baby daughter to suckle his finger. Cheristy was the most beautiful woman Tarrant had ever met and he actually fainted when she agreed to marry him. Her deep blue eyes gazed lovingly up at him, and her full lips curved upwards in a smile. Of course, their daughter wasn't bad looking either, with her father's orange hair and her mother's blue eyes. _

_Queen Mirana sat atop her horse nearby, and Tarrant's chest swelled with pride at being her Royal Hatter. Cheristy swayed to the music, and handed the baby to Tarrant in order to go dance in the grass with the children. She captured her husband's attention as she swayed, twirled and tip-toed gracefully in time with the bouncy music. _

_The festivities were shattered by a terrifying roar and a bolt of purple lightning caused a nearby building to burst into flames. The village instantly went into a whirlwind of chaos. Tarrant quickly lost sight of Cheristy in the crowd, and as he tried to catch sight of his wife, his grip loosened on the infant in his arms, so that the next scared civilian to bump him knocked the precious bundle from his arms. Frantic, he searched the ground for a glimpse of the baby's polka-dot blanket. _

_"Ameliana!" _

"Hatter!"

Hatter snapped back to reality to see Amy staring at him, concern in her deep blue eyes. She had long ago changed out of his spare clothes and now wore a lovely white gown that went well with both her hair and eyes. Ameliana...

They were in the garden, under a leafy oak. Amy was still waiting for Lucas, who was still in his room. The boy still hadn't gotten his clothes from the Royal Tailor, and had refused to come out in his checkered kilt again. The Hatter shook his head, shaking off his thoughts the way a dog shakes off water.

"I'm fine." He said, and nearly jumped when Amy took his hand. He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by Lucas as he strode out into the garden. The boy was now dressed in a navy-blue suit that did little to lessen the resemblance he bore to Stanye. At least he wasn't wearing black.

"Finally!" Amy jumped up and hugged her giant friend, her arms wrapping around just above his waist. She looked like a ten-year-old hugging her teenage brother.

A butler showed them into the throne room, where Queen Mirana was waiting with Nivens McTwisp, the Tweedles and Chessur. As the Hatter and the teens approached, Mirana smiled down at them. She motioned for Nivens to open the Oraculum, and the blue-suited rabbit thrust his paw outward, sending the scroll-like oracle rolling down the steps.

"What is that?" Amy asked, and the Hatter smiled at the child-like curiousity in her voice.

"That is the Oraculum." He explained. "It's a compendium of all the days that have been or ever will be."

"So it tells the future?" Lucas asked, just to clarify.

"This is Caperdashi Day." Mirana said, pointing to one of the pictures, and everyone crowded close to look. It was a picture of Amy and Lucas, along with the Hatter, Mally and Thackery, approaching Marmoreal.

Below the picture were the words "Ameliana Hightopp and Lucasso Stayne arrive in Underland."

"Lucasso Stayne?" Lucas had gone pale. "Ilosovic Stayne is my _father_?"

Tarrant Hightopp didn't even register those words at the time. The only thing he knew was that Ameliana Hightopp, the child he had lost all those years ago (though it had only been seven years for him, not sixteen), was standing before him.

"Ameliana?" He stared at her as if he had never seen her before.

"Okay!" Amy held up her hands to stop him. "Let's stop right there, all right? My name is Amy Potter, not Ameliana Hightopp. My father is Theodore Potter, a dentist from Orlando. My father is definately not you."

Everyone stared at Amy. Hatter felt like she had slapped him, and his eyes avoided hers. "Yes. Yes, of course." He said softly. "After all, he raised you, not me. I wasn't even a good enough father to hold onto you on Horovendoush Day. Now, if you'll excuse me."

Turning from the prodigal daughter who did not want him, Tarrant Hightopp turned and fled the room.


	9. Clearing the Air

Sorry about the long wait folks. As it says on my profile, I do sometimes get destracted from my stories.

* * *

- Amy

Amy stood in the throne room that had been completely emptied of people, except for her, Lucas and Queen Mirana. She felt extremely guilty about the way she had treated the Hatter, but if he had wanted her, then why hadn't he raised her himself? Lucas appeared to be in shock after having found out that Stayne's blood ran in his veins, and Mirana was attempting to make him answer her.

"Why did you reject Tarrant, Ameliana?" She asked, and Amy jumped, since the queen had previously been focused on Lucas.

"My name is Amy!" Amy said, turning on the colorless queen in anger. "You don't introduce yourself as 'Ameliana' in Overland, unless you want your nickname to be 'Mealy'! And if the Hatter wanted me as his daughter, then he should have kept me!" There were tears running down her face now, but she made no move to wipe them away.

"At least your father is a hero." Lucas said quietly, drawing looks of surprise from the two women. His eyes bore a world of pain within them. Amy sat down beside him and wrapped her arm supportively around his waist. He was right, even if that heroism didn't seem to apply to her. It was far worse for her gentle friend, who had just found out that his father was a ruthless assassin.

"Tarrant did not give you up willingly." Mirana said. "On the Horevendush Day, my sister, Iracebeth of Crims, sent the Jabberwocky to destroy the Hightopp Clan. Only Tarrant was believed to have survived the attack, but you must have been sent to Overland during the turmoil."

"I think you had better apologize to him, Amy." Lucas said.

"Indeed. He was already wracked with guilt over losing you, but now I fear that he may be pushed too far." Mirana said. "His concience will push him into complete madness. No-one should lose their sanity completely, not even in a land where everyone is mad."

Amy nodded, slightly surprised that she actually understood that statement, and left in search of the mad milliner. She found him in his hat shop, staring morosely at a half-finished hat.

"It's beautiful." She said.

"Wot da yoo care?"

Amy winced at the bitterness in his heavily Scottish-accented voice. He turned to her and she took a step back, at his red eyes.

"After all," Tarrant continued, "yoo're the daughter of a dentist... froom Orlando." He tossed the hat back onto its stand and stood to his full height. He looked ready to grab a sword an impale something.

"Well, he is my father... my adopted one anyway." Amy said, trying to apologize without making him angrier than he already was. "Look, I didn't know all the facts, okay? I was found in an alley! I wasn't adopted until I was ten years old, and up until that time, I was convinced that nobody wanted me because I was unnatural."

"Unnatural? Hoo?" The Hatter asked, seeming to have lost a touch of his anger, though his eyes remained red.

"Nobody wanted a baby whose hair looks dyed, or whose eyes are grey instead of blue. And as I grew, I was teased because of my name, and because my eyes change color, and because of my complexion." She touched one of her pale cheeks. "I even tried a tanning bed once. Came out as pale as a prisoner in solitary. I guess their teasing is why I'm so competative, trying to prove myself to be as good as any 'normal' person."

Tarrant came around the table to stand in front of her. His eyes were now as blue as Amy's. "I'm sorry." His voice cracked, and a single tear ran down his cheek. "It's my fault."

"I don't see how." Amy said. "You did the best you could do, under the circumstances, and no-one can ask for better than that... Father."

It seemed a bit melodramatic for her to call him "Father", but it seemed to be exactly what the Hatter needed to convince him of her forgiveness. He instantly brightened, and his eyes returned to their original bright green.

"Oh, there's so much I want to show you!" The Hatter said excitedly. "This is my hat-room, of course."

"It's very beautiful." Amy said again, grinning at her new-found father's child-like enthusiasm as he pulled her into a chair and had try on several of the hats that he had finished. However, he didn't seem satisfied with any of them.

"What's your favorite color?" He asked. "I'm going to make you a hat so beautiful, the birds and flowers will be jealous."

Amy thought about it for a second. "I've always had a liking for ice blue." She said. She would never admit it, but it was her favorite color because it matched Lucas' eyes. She blushed at the thought, then stiffened as another one hit her. "You're not going to like Lucas less because he's Stayne's son, are you?" She asked.

The Hatter froze, then slowly turned the chair around so that she faced him. "He's wot?" His voice dipped into Scottish brogue. "Wot makes ya say that he's Stayne's ooffspring?"

"The Oraculum said so. It said 'The return of Ameliana Hightopp and Lucasso Stayne.' Lucas' full name is Lucasso." Amy grabbed his arm as he turned to leave the room. "And he's been a good friend to me since we were both six, so I would appreciate it if you would give him the benefit of the doubt."

Hatter took a deep breath and nodded. "Aye. I shall do that." He said, then replaced his dark frown with a childish smile as he pulled her to her feet. "But I haven't shown you the garden yet. The flowers are absolutely beautiful this time of year, though they are rather grumpy..."


End file.
